Wow. Having experienced a 6.8 earthquake back in 2001 that was pretty scary, I can only imagine what the people of Ishikawa prefecture in Japan were thinking when this one hit. A 7.6 earthquake is ten times more and some than the one I experienced back then and I thought that one was huge. Thoughts are with the people there and the surrounding regions to get through this as best as can be done. Looking at news feeds on TV and YouTube, there was obviously damage but at this time, the casualty count is not complete.
There were tsunami observed and pretty much with the whole north and western coasts of Japan under warning and watch, that's another something for everyone to be aware of. For a country that's prone to these events, the people of Japan are well aware of what to do if living by the coast. Images of 3/11 and that tragic event were not easily lost on people's memories, so the lessons learned on that have been taken to heart.
Speaking of lesson learned, here in the PNW we're constantly aware that we're on the eastern end of the 'Ring of Fire' and what is associated with it. Like this group of mountains that are a pretty sight, but can be lethal if they turn active.
At work, we have exercises focused on earthquakes and participate in The Great Shakeout annually, but one that has the attention of our emergency management folks is the devastating potential that the Cascadia Subduction Zone holds. The subject matter experts say that the region is overdue for CSZ to move, and would cause an 8.0 - 9.0+ earthquake that would produce a tsunami not seen in hundreds of years. The whole west coast of the US would be affected, and models even predict that the inland Puget Sound would not be free an oceanic event.
Scary stuff, but the reality is to be prepared. One thing I didn't think about until we started having these exercises were the number of bridges I cross on a daily basis on I-5 to get to work and back home. If a 9.0 earthquake struck, those bridges may end up going down, and in the worst-case scenarios, we plan on that happening. If I was at work, I'd be stuck there. If ML and I were out and about shopping, we'd be stuck wherever we were at. So the least we could do is have 'Go-Bags' in our vehicles, which ML thankfully prepared for me, her and MB (who's not far from us at school north of us these days). They have food, water, safety items, and even a battery pack that can jumpstart a vehicle, fill up tires with air, and charge phones.
My phone is still getting notifications from NHK - now twelve hours since the initial earthquake. The aftershocks are occurring roughly every thirty minutes on a scale of 3.0 to 4.0 magnitude. Pray for the people of Japan and the rescue teams heading out there. ~
